Is most of our corn GMO? It is true that most corn
bought in the supermarket is genetically modified (GM) or engineered (GE). Over
80% of the corn grown in the US today is GM corn. Similar statistics hold for
sugar beets at 95%, cotton at 88% and soybeans at 91%.
Not only is the corn, along with all its products
genetically modified, but so are a host of other ingredients. In fact, it has
been estimated by the Center for Food Safety that upwards of 70 percent of
processed foods in supermarkets contain ingredients from genetically engineered
foods. (http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/campaign/genetically-engineered-food/crops/)
On the other hand, when eating foods such as tomatoes,
radicchio, wheat, flax and potatoes, the probabilities are small that they will
be genetically engineered.
For those who may be wondering about edamame (specially
prepared soybeans), there are no genetically-engineered
edamame. There has been some concern that an edamame field might become
cross-pollinated from neighboring fields of genetically engineered soybeans.
Soybeans, however, are self-pollinating. Even if the edamame were grown in an
area where GM soybeans were planted, there would only be a slight chance (less
than 1%) of cross-pollination.
In addition, there are two papaya varieties grown in Hawaii
that are genetically engineered, UH Rainbow and UH
SunUp. The publication “UH Rainbow Papaya” is available for viewing at the
UH CTAHR website: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/NPH-1.pdf.
This bulletin describes the characteristics of the new varieties, the process
of genetically engineered fruit, and answers and questions on safety. CTAHR is
an abbreviation for College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at
University of Hawaii-Manoa.
The frequent question asked, “Is genetically modified food
safe to eat?” Some people see no threat eating GM foods, while others
vehemently oppose it. The best advice is to get the facts. One place to start
is an informative CTAHR website created by Dr. Ania Wieczorek, Department of
Tropical Plant and Soil Science. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/biotech/Introduction.html.
Topics on the site include Hawaii Biotech, Benefits/Risks, Labeling,
Regulations and FAQ.